1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to mobile wireless communications devices capable of processing cryptographically secure messages and information. In particular, the disclosure is directed to a method and apparatus for providing a user of a mobile wireless communications device with the option of viewing security status messages in a large or small format depending upon the user's preferences, form factor of the mobile communications device, or the like.
2. Related Art
Exchanging cryptographically secured electronic messages and data, such as, for example, e-mail messages, is well known. Typically, the user of a device for receiving such cryptographically secured electronic information, such as, for example, a mobile wireless communications device, is provided with a store containing private keys, certificates, and the like, required for processing various cryptographically secured information. A security message relating to a secured electronic message typically requires displaying a relatively large amount of information to the user relating to the secure message. For example, some common security messages may include information regarding whether a message is encrypted; whether a message is signed; whether a signed message is correctly verified; whether a certificate used to sign a message is from at trusted source, and the like. Icons representing various security conditions as well as accompanying text may be used to represent security information. These types of security messages may be referred to as a security status display.
On larger form factor devices, it is relatively easy to display such security information to a user, including, for example, icons relating to a particular information item, together with text describing details regarding the contents of what a particular icon represents. For example, a large format display technique may include a listing of security messages in a format such as that shown in FIG. 5. The icons provide an indication of status, and the related text offers more details relating to the message associated with a particular icon. The text for each sub-item relating to a particular message that is displayed, for example, using an icon, may be fairly detailed, indicating, for example, the encryption algorithm being used, the name of the sender's certificate, the security encoding being used (e.g., S/MIME, PGP, etc.), as well as very specific error messages relating to each of the displayed items. Each text item may itself take up to several lines of the display, for example, up to three lines of text. Typically, the text is read if the icons indicate warnings or errors.
Problems may arise, for example, for a user that wishes to either view more of the message on the initial screen, or the user wishes to use a small form factor device, such as, for example, a quark, where the display size may be too small to effectively display the full format security messages. What is needed is a method and apparatus for providing a user with a useful level of information on a small form factor device as is available with a device having a larger display area.